LA Metro to hold meetings on South Bay Metro Green Line Extension

Los Angels' Metro will
hold four public scoping meetings beginning April 26 for the South Bay Metro
Green Line Extension project. These scoping meetings are the first step in the
environmental process and Metro is seeking public comments and input for
extending rail service farther into the South Bay to improve mobility in
southwest Los Angeles County.

Metro is currently
preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report
(DEIS/DEIR) to identify transit improvements that would provide an alternative
to the I-405 corridor by accessing the regional rail network through
connections to the Metro Blue Line and the proposed Crenshaw/LAX Transit
Corridor, currently under environmental review.

As part of the Draft
EIS/EIR, Metro will assess existing conditions in the study area, further
refine the project alternatives, assess their potential impacts and identify
possible and reasonable mitigation measures.

Two ‘build' alternatives
are being considered in the DEIS/DEIR. The Light Rail Alterative will evaluate
extending the Metro Green Line from its current terminus at the Redondo Beach
Station to the proposed Torrance Regional Transit Center (RTC). The freight
track alternative will evaluate operating rail transit vehicles on the Harbor
Subdivision right-of-way using upgraded rail tracks from the El Segundo/LAX
area to the proposed Torrance RTC. In addition, the Draft EIS/EIR will evaluate
the No Build and Transportation Systems Management alternatives.

The study area
encompasses approximately 30 square miles and includes the cities of El
Segundo, Hawthorne, Inglewood, Lawndale, Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, Redondo
Beach and Torrance as well as the Del Aire and Lennox areas of unincorporated
LA County.

The project is partially
funded under Measure R, the half-cent sales tax approved by the voters in
November 2008. Under Measure R, the project is provided $272 million in funding
for the Metro Green Line Extension to the South Bay Corridor. This project is
contained in the constrained element of the 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan.